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OU basketball: Lon Kruger played with intensity, now he's trying to instill that in Sooners

Former Kansas State teammate Bob Chipman swears Lon Kruger is so intense that one day he could see smoke coming out of Kruger's nose one day in practice. The first-year Sooner coach is trying to help his players develop that kind of intensity and mental toughness.

BY MIKE BALDWIN •
Published: February 12, 2012

Among hundreds of comments collected about Lon Kruger last summer, one stood out from people who have known Kruger the past four decades.

Former Kansas State teammate Bob Chipman best capsulated Kruger, an under-the-radar point guard from Silver Lake, Kan., a baseball standout drafted by the pros and two-time Big Eight Player of the Year.

OU head coach Lon Kruger argues with an official in the second half during the Pete Maravich men's college basketball game of the Ramada All-College Classic between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Houston Cougars at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. OU won, 79-74. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

“I swear one day in practice you could literally see smoke coming out of his nose,” Chipman told The Oklahoman last summer. “It was the scariest thing I've ever seen. He's so intense. I've never seen anyone compete like he did every possession, every day.”

It's a mentality Kruger is trying to instill in his inaugural season at Oklahoma.

OU players last week talked about a road game at Texas Tech being an opportunity to jump start a run at an NIT berth. Instead, it was an embarrassing loss against a team that was previously winless in Big 12 play that severely damaged the Sooners' NIT hopes.

Inheriting a program coming off back-to-back losing seasons, Kruger is trying to change the culture. There have been positives. But the loss at Texas Tech was another reminder this team has been too inconsistent energy-wise.

Kruger said players have worked hard dating back to last summer. But it's not a group that has a “smoke coming out of your nose” demeanor.

“We haven't won here in a couple or three years, including this one,” Kruger said. “We've got to do some things necessary to give us a better chance to win.